Damien and the Ancient Sovereign walked through a single second.
And they conversed.
Their conversation didn't have a true direction, just like their steps, but every word held profound meaning.
About the universe, about truth, about life, and about purpose.
The Ancient Sovereign was a man who stood above all these concepts. To him, they were all inconsequential.
So the perspective he offered was one that couldn't be found anywhere else.
There wasn't a single entity like him.
He was a being born before the universe was created, albeit just slightly. If one looked at the entirety of existence, including the Heavenly World Damien had never seen, one would never find another being like him.
Damien understood that intuitively. That's why he wanted to meet this man badly enough to spend a year traveling to speak with him.
And the gains he made were real.
As had been mentioned several times, it was all inconsequential.
Regardless of what they spoke of, Damien didn't discover anything that had to do with his past, present, or future.
These truths, these profundities, encapsulated the fundamentals of life and existence.
Damien's mind expanded.
His worldview changed.
From the point where he started, unable to understand what the Ancient Sovereign was saying or why he said it, he reached a point where he could sympathize with this man's opinions and glimpse the world he saw.
It was bland.
Nothing held value to him.
Because he couldn't see the value in those things that normal people held dear. He stood above those concepts and could only observe them indifferently.
Damien felt some pity for the man, but he also respected him immensely.
After all, the Ancient Sovereign wasn't missing anything. The things Damien valued meant nothing to him, so even if he experienced them, he wouldn't understand them.
It was better for him to live the life he was living, disconnected from all things, a mere observer drifting through reality.
This was precisely the standpoint that made him worthy of respect.
And to Damien, he was a senior in more ways than one.
This conversation helped him grow imperceptibly.
It helped him view the world differently, and understand things from the standpoint of an observer.
This allowed him to understand his actions in greater depth and create a more stable plan for the future.
It was a bit comedic.
The being who experienced time as an outsider allowed Damien to define his own time.
But, perhaps there was nobody else who could do it.
As he'd learned through countless experiences, someone directly involved in a situation could never see it from the unbiased perspective of a bystander.
He followed the Ancient Sovereign through space and time, and his questions slowly changed.
He asked purely out of curiosity, his goals and intentions disappearing.
He just wanted to see how this entity responded, and how he viewed things Damien already had a stubborn standpoint on.
It was fun.
It was intriguing like no other conversation could be.
And without realizing it, Damien spent a year going back and forth with him.
A year that lasted a single second, or a single second that lasted a year.
In the outside world, time had essentially come to a stop, yet it was still crawling forward.
And somehow, a year still passed.
As if they were truly disconnected from the concept of Spacetime.
Damien didn't realize it, but the Ancient Battlefield already shrunk several times.
The plane was compacted, and it was no longer rare to find the enemy when one was randomly perusing.
Battle became more prominent, to the point where nobody could avoid their duties, and that final moment came.
The final chance for those indecisive individuals to choose their allegiance.
***
Unaware of the outside world's change, Damien followed the Ancient Sovereign until they returned to their starting point, where Orion and Iris were waiting.
They stood in the strange Spacetime corridor, imperceptible to the two.
And just before they exited, the Ancient Sovereign turned around.
His eyes were different.
No, they could finally be seen.
They were clouded over like a blind man's, but they were filled with deep knowledge that couldn't be touched.
For a single second, those cloudy eyes cleared, and they stared directly into Damien's soul.
And for the first time, his words became clear.
"Live well, child. Your future will be filled with difficulty, however, it only holds as much weight as you give it. If you one day become worthy of your post, This One will become your staunchest supporter, but if you fail, This One will personally find you to strip you of your post."
Damien nodded without question.
"You don't have to worry about me. As long as the path exists, I will follow it to the end."
"And if the path disappears?"
Damien smiled.
"Then I'll create it myself."
The Ancient Sovereign nodded.
His mentality was good enough. His words sounded arrogant, but he was clearly aware of his position.
At least for now, he could trust that Damien would become the man he was supposed to be.
And perhaps…
He shook his head.
"Go, child. I shall now meet Orion's descendant."
Damien nodded and bowed once more.
"Yes, and thank you. I know it's inconsequential to you, but this conversation was extremely valuable to me. I won't forget this favor."
As Damien stepped forward and exited the Spacetime corridor, he could've sworn he saw it.
The slight curve in the Ancient Sovereign's lips, a hint of a smile.
'Nah, I must be imagining things.'
He shook his head and watched as the world around him once again rebounded, wobbling back and forth before stabilizing into the current reality.
Iris stood up from her meditative position when she sensed him, rushing over.
"How was it?" She asked curiously.
She didn't make it known, but Damien could see the worry in her eyes.
Well, she might not have realized it, but he could clearly feel her scanning his body for any injuries.
"It was nice. As expected, the Ancient Sovereign is an extremely profound man."
Iris nodded and looked at him strangely, not knowing whether she should ask what they spoke about or not.
Damien just smiled and brushed it off.
"If you're so curious, then go find out. It's your turn now."
"My turn?"
"Well, you better follow him quickly. That guy isn't easy to track."
"Ah!"
Iris finally realized that the Ancient Sovereign's figure was already disappearing into the distance.
Right, she had much to ask as well.
About her purpose, about the strange blessing she received in the Severed World, about Universal Law, and…
'...my true affinity. I must learn how to use it to its full potential.'
Damien watched her disappear in pursuit of the ancient entity, just like she'd watched him.
He was also curious about the questions she had, but he didn't ask.
After all, that was her business. They'd become much closer now, but it wasn't his right to pry into the secrets she'd hidden from the world.
Eventually, she'd tell him as well.
And when she did it of her own accord, it would be much more fulfilling than if he pressed for it.
"What are you staring at? She's already gone, you know."
Orion's voice woke him up from his trance.
"Haha, what's with you today? Did you notice something?"
"That I did," Orion responded with a sly grin.
"You brat, what are you planning to do?"
Damien raised his brow slightly. From Orion's usual character, this was a far cry.
But, imagining him as a concerned grandfather, he could understand the change.
Unfortunately, he couldn't provide the answer he wanted.
He sat down and leaned against the wall, shrugging.
"I don't know. I'll let fate take me where it wants."
"You…!"
"What? You want me to do something?"
"Khhh…!"
Orion gnashed his teeth in annoyance.
Did he want him to do something?!
As the grandfather in question, the answer was the most frustrating mixture of "yes" and "no" that he'd ever experienced!
Though, Damien's answer wasn't bad either.
From his demeanor, he didn't seem to reject the idea at all.
"Putting that aside, what did you talk about?"
Orion couldn't contain his curiosity.
He was in a position where he couldn't gain anything from the Ancient Sovereign. They knew each other too well for his profundity to still be profound.
However, what about the most talented kid he'd ever seen?
What would such a character gain?
Damien looked up at the sky, his eyes clouding over somewhat.
"Well…"
He thought about it.
What did they talk about?
What did he gain?
"Let's just say I gained everything and nothing at all."
Orion looked at Damien's mysteriously smiling face incredulously.
'This man is…'
"You're just spouting nonsense to act like him, aren't you."
"You caught me."
'...absolutely insufferable! I have to get him away from my precious granddaughter as fast as possible!'
It'd be a while before the Ancient Sovereign returned with Iris.
Damien wanted to use that time to internalize everything he'd gained in the past year-like second.
Because, for some reason, after he came out of the Spacetime corridor, the air felt different.
Dark clouds were gathering.
And they would soon converge on his head.
